So, do you get nervous when faced with a crowd?!

Funny Bulldog

"How Do You Feel About Public Speaking" ???
I LOVE IT! Silly enough as it is, it affords me the opportunity to actually keep track of what it is that I am trying to say....wow, did I say that? Ahh! You see, I was a mousy little doormat for many many years. And then, at some point I can't exactly pinpoint or recall happening, I discovered that I actually ENJOY speaking to big crowds of people. I don't know if it was after the experience of making it through army basic training (5 billion years ago)....maybe...I do know that I actually LIKED basic...I mean, yes, there were many occasions where I thought I would be better off dangling my 89 pound self from a spaghetti noodle over a pit of hungry gators rather than endure more 'belly busters'....the bile creeping up and spewing all over the inside of my throat while I lay on the hard ground, on top of my hands, barely holding my head up despite the screaming burn tearing down each side of my neck while I flail my legs all over creation barely able to scream the chant "ONE MORE DRILL SERGEANT!!" But I couldn't say it any more honestly, I really enjoyed basic training. Anyway, I digresss....the point was succinctly about public speaking, right?! I suppose in retrospect I feel much more confident spouting off about my love of the thrill of public speaking because I have had to do it for so many years. I have spent countless hours spouting off my trap in courtrooms, in front of junior college classes, and in training classes. So, I became adept at the task. And I really do enjoy it and feel very comfortable doing it. However, this really comes from finding my sense of self, which I really didn't have a clue about until my late 30's. Prior to that time, I was still a whiz kid in the speaking department, but it wasn't something I was as comfy with as I am now. I would have to admit, out loud, to all onlookers, that it is probably all due to the fact that I just DON'T CARE what people think! Once I hit that juncture in my life it was like being a kid in a candy store! Really! For goodness sake people, really?! Do we really take ourselves so seriously that outward impressions matter so much that we can't just be ourselves? It was that realization that clicked for me (and maybe should be the topic of another answer to a different question, but alas, I am putting it HERE.) So, as I laugh at my teen and my tween when they get all consumed with themselves and what people think, I sigh with joy because I am free. Self "freedom" serves the public speaker very well; at least I think so. I can just be myself, say what I need to say, and hopefully enjoy some chuckles from my audiencealong the way.

And, now that I am gettin' old, well, I know that I should probably pursue a part time gig doing stand-up. People have told me that I am a riot; especially in the visual story telling mode. And, as with any formal speaking, well, I just try to please myself and don't waste time worrying about them there people out yonder. As for my joking and goofy storytelling abilities, well, the same rule applies...I just want to crack myself up, I don't care about whether any one else thinks I am funny. ~~this is one of my secrets to happiness~~